This Week in Houston Food Blogs: Summertime Is Here, and the Bloggers Know It

This week, we've got reviews, summer menus, barbecue and a dessert recipe you won't want to miss. Yep, it's definitely summertime, according to these Houston food bloggers! Let us show you where you'll want to be and what you'll want to be eating this week.

Joanna O'Leary at Urban Swank paid a visit to Vieng Thai Restaurant at 6929 Long Point in Spring Branch and found that it goes beyond good food at reasonable prices. She loved its "innumerable idiosyncrasies" and especially admired the more unusual dishes, like papaya salad and hearty eggplant salad. It's BYOB, and she also recommends leaving extra time for parking during the lunch rush. Don't be surprised by the disco ball in the dining room.

If you're looking for a great way to beat the heat, soup probably wouldn't cross your mind. Marcy de Luna at Zagat thought about it, though, and created this list of refreshing summer soups to try in Houston, complete with mouthwatering pictures. The gazpacho at Paulie's looks amazing, and apparently Kenny & Ziggy's has a chilled Hungarian sour cherry soup that sounds like it would make a pretty good popsicle substitute.

The boys of Texas Pit Quest, Texas BBQ Treasure Hunt and Houston Fed are back with another awe-inspiring and probably gut-busting barbecue tour. This time, they hit the Texas Sausage Trail between Houston and San Antonio, and they hit 11 local smokehouses to bring you a report, plus more pictures that might make you plan the same road trip soon. You can read about it on Texas Pit Quest and Texas BBQ Treasure Hunt right now; hopefully Houston Fed's entry is coming soon.

Did we mention that Number 13 also has a great dry aged beef setup?

Photo by Phaedra Cook

Hank at Hank on Food went down to Galveston to try the new menu at Number 13 Prime Steak and Seafood, 7809 Broadway. He spent some time with Head Chef Chris Loftis, tried several cocktails, including a Jalapeño Watermelon Margatini (it's a martini-margarita cross) which he awarded an A+, a seasonal plum salad, a bleu-cheese-and-mushroom-laden water buffalo steak and a classic shrimp and grits. Not a single item scored below an A rating in Hank's book, so it might be time to plan an outing to Galveston for some sun and delicious summer fare.

If you're a fan of possibly-disastrous dessert ideas, you'll be excited to attempt this strawberry elderflower chiffon cake, brought to you by Erica at Honestly YUM. It's got layers of cake, fresh strawberries and booze-infused elderflower whipped cream. We wish you well as you try to make it look as amazing as they did; just remember that presentation is only everything if you get paid by the people who eat the cake.

If you're looking for a cappuccino in EaDo, AHH, Coffee! at 2018 Rusk may be the place to go. If you're looking for a latte, it's probably not, according to CocoDijon. Their reviewer found the latte watery, lukewarm and generally unappetizing; a chocolate croissant fared poorly as well. The cappuccino scored a 4/5, with adjectives such as mild, delicate, and light. Still, the atmosphere and staff scored well, so it'd be worth a visit if you're in the area.

That's all for "This Week in Houston Food Blogs!" Send us an email or leave us a comment if you've got a blog that you'd like to see here.